Kick Up A Storm

Kick Up A Storm

We're not going to lecture you about having a raincoat. (That's what mommies are for.) Instead, we're here to show you all the technically innovative and totally stylish new storm-fighting options out there, from coats (of course) to waterproof rubber wingtip look-alikes—all worn by actor Omar Sy

Two years ago, when Omar Sy became the first black performer awarded France's César for best actor, the moment was both an arrival and a barrier breaker. In The Intouchables, one of France's highest-grossing movies of all time, Sy's "dramedic" role as a vagrant turned caretaker to a rich quadriplegic stands at the center of this overlay of critical and commercial validation. Sy, however, took the award as something simpler: a good start.

"The most important thing for me will be the next time," he says. "I want people to get used to black actors winning the César. I don't want to be the only one."

Sy's latest role is a bit of a left turn—in X-Men: Days of Future Past, he joins the cast as Bishop, a mutant who travels back in time (why not?) to join the forces of Professor X. This is a new dimension for the funnyman; originally, "I told my directors: I'm not an actor, I'm a comedian," Sy says. In his first English-language foray—not to mention his largest movie, by a serious exponent—Sy found the role required uniquely daunting prep: wading neck-deep into fanboy chat forums.

This stuff is serious. And not always seriously clear. "Some fans say Bishop comes from Brooklyn, some say he comes from Australia," Sy says. (Which sounds like an indie-band origin story.) "I found out he had a sister who died, too." All of this trivia is for the actor to wrestle with on the inside. What about what we see on the outside? "Oh man, I had to work out a little bit, too. I'm not a superhero."